the solicitation of the Onondagas they consented however to allow a peace to be made, and to accomplish this a council was called to meet with De la Barre at La Famine, at the mouth of Salmon River. Meanwhile De la Barre was bustling about in an aimless way, trying to impress the Canadians at home and the King in France with his earnestness and resolve, unsuccessfully however, for it was pretty generally understood that it was all a sham. However in conformity to the resolutions adopted by the Intendant, the Bishop, the heads of the country and myself", he assembled about a thousand soldiers, mostly Canadians, with some few regulars and some Christian Indians at Fort Frontenac, whence, with the greater part of his little army sick, he crossed the lake to the rendezvous at La Famine, where he was joined presently by a delegation of Iroquois sachems led by an Onondaga, Big Mouth. The conference that followed was disastrous to De la Barre's plans. Before opening the council he endeavored to deceive the sachems with a story that he had left his army at Fort Frontenac and was there with an escort only, but the astute sachems had already learned that the most of his soldiers were so sick that they had been sent back to Fort Frontenac. In opening the council he spoke mildly of the offences of the Senecas as being provocative of war and that "should it happen again" he had orders from the King to declare war against them. The reply of Big Mouth has long been quoted from Colden's account of it, as a master-piece of Indian sarcasm. "We may go where we please, and carry with us whom we please, and buy and sell what we please". In a later session peace was made, "the tree of peace was planted anew" and De la Barre promised not to attack the Senecas. The Iroquois promised to make reparation for the damage done in capturing French goods but flatly refused to abstain from war upon the Illinois and other French allies in the west. The council broke up and De la Barre returned to Canada. The threatened invasion of the Senecas had not happened. The prestige of the French was utterly gone in the towns of the Iroquois and the Senecas resumed their interrupted life in their villages about the deserted mission houses of the Jesuits. The plans of De la Barre proved fatal to the missions in Sonnoutouan. Father Garnier seems to have had early and secret news of the intended attack. Realizing its probable consequences to himself and his colleagues he fled in 1684 to Lake Ontario presumably in company of Father Pierron and found refuge upon a bark owned by De la Barre. Father Raffeix had departed in 1680. The threat of Big Mouth that they would war upon the western Indian allies of the French proved to be no idle boast. In 1686 Father Lamberville wrote from Onondaga (*1) to Father Bruyas that a war party of two hundred Seneca warriors had just returned from the country of the Miamis and that they claimed to bring with them five hundred captives. Their downfall however was near. De la Barre's disastrous attempt to lower the pride of the Senecas was followed at once by his recall as Governor of New France. He was superseded by the Marquis de Denon dedenonrriles ville, a "pious colonel of dragoons". (*2) His coming to assume his office boded ill for the Senecas. There is no doubt that at this time the Senecas were at the zenith of their power. Numerically they had always been the strongest of the League. They had always been the most independent and arrogant also and because of their almost continuous success in their incessant wars they considered their nation invincible and their country invulnerable. Their recent diplomatic victory over the French added largely to this feeling and they took immediate advantage of the prestige thus gained to attempt an alliance of the French allies amongst the western Indians, with the deliberate plan to alienate them from the French. So, though warfare was being carried on against. the Illinois, there was intriguing with the Hurons and Ottawas of the Upper Lake region. That the new governor, Denonville, thoroughly appreciated the dangers to Canada from and through the Senecas is shown by his letters to the Minister at home in France. "If we have war nothing can save the country but a miracle of God". South of him was the colony of New York, then administered Colonial Documents, Vol. III, p. 489. 2 Parkman, Frontenac, p. 115. by the ablest Englishman in America, Thomas Dongan, who had so shrewdly taken advantage of the alarm caused by De la Barre's expedition to gain the acquiescence of the To Dongan unwilling Iroquois to his claim that they were subjects and allies of the King of England. This claim he adhered to and Denonville saw that the danger from the Iroquois alone was as nothing compared to that which would result from the alliance of the Iroquois with the English. The Senecas he could doubtless humble, if alone. Even the entire Iroquois league might be taught a lesson through the defeat of any one of its members, but even this could be accomplished only by considering the Iroquois an independent nation. The invasion of English territory and an attack upon English subjects who were sure to be supported by a vigorous defender of English rights in America, however, were matters entirely different from a mere punitive raid against hostile Indians. The King's instructions were specific in the matter. The Governor must strive for a firm and lasting peace which evidently could only be attained by lowering the pride of the Iroquois. To do this he must protect and conciliate the Illinois and other allies of the French even if this were at the cost of a war with the Senecas. Yet he was distinctly warned of the claim of the English that the territory of the Iroquois was under the jurisdiction of England and that the Iroquois themselves were English subjects. Therefore he must strive to maintain a good understanding with his English neighbors in New York, so as not to involve France in a war with England. On the other hand should the English aid the Senecas, he was to consider them as enemies and treat them as such, equally with the Senecas, without "attempting anything in the countries under the King of England's obedience". Truly a discouraging letter of instructions! (*1) He was sure, however, of the backing of his King, Louis XIV, then the greatest power of Europe, while he could confidently depend on the well-known timidity of James of England. The whole of the year 1686 was spent by the three interested parties, the French, the English and the Senecas, in di*I From the King's Instructions to the Marquis de Denonville, March 10th, 1685. Doc. Relating to Col. His. N. Y., Vol. V, p. 323. plomacy. A very interesting correspondence was carried on between Denonville and Dongan, in which Dongan doggedly adhered to the fact that the Iroquois were subject to England, and Denonville used every means to upset or evade this claim, so that he could make war upon the Senecas without bringing on a general war, The Senecas at the same time were continuing their efforts to alienate the western Indians from the French, while they improved their opportunities by getting everything possible from the English of New York. Like De la Barre a few years before, they "found the fishing good in troubled waters". Denonville made one recommendation which, if carried out, would have effectually settled the controversy over the English claims and at the same time have delivered the Senecas over into his hands. In a memoir "concerning the present state of Canada", 12th of November, 1685, he urged that the colony of New York be bought from the King of England. It was not until the early part of 1687 that he saw his way to carry out the plans to punish the Senecas. In a memoir to Denonville and Champigny, dated March 30, 1687 (*1) the King approved Denonville's plan to attack them and Denonville accordingly hastened his preparations. So quietly did he work, however, that Governor Dongan at least seems to have received no news of it, though Denonville, June 8th. stated (*2) that Dongan had sent runners to warn a warparty of six hundred Senecas who had gone to attack the Miamis, and that other war parties against Virginia had returned. Yet on June 11th Dongan wrote him a very courteous letter enclosing a copy of the "Treaty of Neutrality", and at that time he seemed unaware of any intended warparty. In the spring of 1687 news came to the Senecas from an Onondaga who lived at Cataraqui that the French intended to attack them and had already brought to Cataraqui a large amount of ammunition and iron doublets"; and further that a Frenchman at that place had said that the Governor of Canada designed to attack the Iroquois. Only ten days after receiving this news word came that the French Governor and an army had encamped halfway between Onondaga and Cataraqui. A I Doc. Hist. N. Y., Vol. 1, p. 322. *2 Doc. Relating to Col. Hist. N. Y., Vol. IX, p. 325. |